Staghorn Coral

[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]

Staghorn Coral
(Acropora pulchra)

Photo by Gerick Bergsma

	Throughout the Indo-pacific, including the Red Sea, Indonesia, Australia, Japan and Polynesia.
	Shallow back-reef and lagoon areas.
	Staghorn Coral receive energy from sunlight via photosynthetic symbionts (zooxanthellae) and plankton captured using stinging cells.
	Many fish use the dense stands of A. pulchra, which may grow up to 5 meters across, as refuge.  The maze of holes and crevices formed between the branches are too small and difficult to maneuver for many of the reef's larger predators, and provide an ideal habitat for juvenile fish to grow.
	- Australian Institute of Marine Science - Nancy Muehllehner's Graduate Research - What are Corals? - Moorea Biocode Database

Rosette Coral

[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]

Rosette Coral or Rice Coral
(Montipora spp.)

Photo by J. O'Donnell. Text by Gerick Bergsma.

Montipora has highly plastic morphology, meaning that the shape it takes is highly variable from colony to colony, and often depends on its physical environment.  In shallow back reefs, Montipora often form flat plates, or simply crusts over the surface in which it is growing.  In deeper, fore reef environments, it can take the form of "rosettes", large spiraling flower like forms, often several meters in diameter.

	Throughout the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, New Guinea, Japan, Philippines, Micronesia, Hawaii, Pitcarin and French Polynesia.
	Common on fore reef, reef flat and lagoon habitats.
	Montipora receive energy from sunlight via photosynthetic symbionts (zooxanthellae) and plankton captured using stinging cells.
	There are many species of Montipora, which are generally quick to establish and fast growing.
	- Wikipedia - Gerick Bergsma's PhD Research - What are Corals? - Moorea Biocode Database

Hawksbill Sea Turtle

[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]

Hawksbill Sea Turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata)

Photo by Gerick Bergsma

Hawksbill turtles were once widely hunted for food and for their beautiful shells (often referred to as tortoise shell), which were made into combs, eyeglass frames and jewelry.

	Hawksbill turtles are found in tropical and warm temperate seas worldwide.  Like other sea turtles, hawksbills nest on tropical sandy beaches.
	Primarily found on coral reefs, but also found in the open ocean, lagoons and estuaries.
	Primarily sponges, but occasionally jellyfish, anemones, mollusks, crustaceans and algae.
	Hawksbills have peculiar feeding habits, and are able to consume food that other animals would find difficult to digest.  Many of the sponges on which they feed are highly toxic, and would be lethal to humans; others are filled with sharp, glass-like structures called spicules.  Hawksbills are even known to eat the dangerous Portuguese Man O' War (Physalia physalis), whose stinging cells are unable to penetrate the turtles' tough scales.
	- Animal Diversity Web - NOAA - Moorea Biocode Database

Coral Guard Crab

[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]

Trapezia Crab or Guard Crab
(Trapezia serenei)

Photo by Hannah Stewart. Text by G. Bergsma and H. Stewart.

Trapeziid crabs actively defend their coral hosts from predators, and are known to drive away predatory Crown-of-Thorns Seastars by snipping off their thorns and tube feet. Trapezia live only on Pocillopora corals, and feed on their mucus.

	Crabs of the genus Trapezia are found throughout the Indo-Pacific. T. serenei has been reported from Western Australia, Taiwan, Guam, the Tuamotu Islands and the Society Islands.
	Shallow tropical reefs, reef flats and lagoons where Pocillopora corals grow.
	Coral mucus.
	Trapeziid crabs clean sediment off their host corals, enabling small corals to survive in high-sediment areas where they would otherwise be smothered.
	Coming Soon - Moorea Biocode Database